The remains of an inflatable basketball
I went to Girl Talk last night, and now I'm paying for it. My entire body hurts. Stiff neck, sore arms, pulled calf muscles. That's right, I've been limping around the entire day. People asked me what had happened to me. Too much dancing at Girl Talk. That's what happened.
The minutes before they left people go onstage, I thought that there was a possibility that I might die. I'd never been in such a packed crowd, and I've had my fair share of deathly crowds. When I was finally pushed up the stairs to the stage, three girls or so fell on top of me. I was legitimately scared that people would just start stepping on me, so I had to quickly squirm my way from under them. I made it out alive, and I danced my heart out. If you know me in real life, then you know that I consider myself to be a little shy and reserved. But, last night, I had no problems looking like a fool in front of 3000 people.
All in all, I would say this was the most uneventful Girl Talk show I've been to. In a way, that is a good thing since this was the first GT show that I'd been to that wasn't shut down by the cops or security. Rude Bear was at the Saturday night show, but he did not make an appearance yesterday. How disappointing since I've sorta been in love with him since I saw him at the Parenthetical Girls/Evangelicals show at Cake Shop. Also, no surprise guests made an appearance. I guess it was a very rare thing I witnessed at Pitchfork Music Festival '07 Grizzly Bear joined Girl Talk onstage for the mash-up of "Knife."
Regardless, Girl Talk is still hands-down the most fun dance show that I've ever attended. I just need to remember to stretch before starting to dance.
EDIT: I forgot to add that I noticed that Girl Talk covers his laptop in Saran Wrap. Does he do this to protect his computer from his dripping sweat and the sweat of the surrounding dancers?
Grand Buffet and Hearts of Darknesses supported Gregg Gillis at this show. Hearts of Darknesses is the solo project of Frank Musarra, who collabs with Gregg Gillis under Trey Told 'Em. Gregg also has a production credit for one of Grand Buffet's EPs. Both Grand Buffet and Hearts of Darknesses have been sampled by Trey Told 'Em on their In-DEED mix.
Dutch Hex (Trey Told 'Em Remix) - Professor Murder
Bounce That - Girl Talk
Legally download Feed the Animals here.
November 17, 2008
Girl Talk - Terminal 5 11.16.08
November 16, 2008
Girl Talk - "Give Me a Beat"
via Music For Kids Who Can't Read Good
It sucks to be home on a Saturday night with the beginnings of what I predict will be a nasty cold. The kind that will turn into bronchitis and force me to see a doctor. Knowing this, I knew that there was no way I could go to Girl Talk both Saturday and Sunday nights. So, I parted with my Saturday tickets via Craigslist a couple days ago so that I could rest up for Sunday night. Tomorrow night, I will be going with the same group of friends that accompanied me to the GT show at Webster Hall last Fall. That night, people in the crowd were giving us more room to dance because we were going crazy. A "before" picture here and "after" here to show how much dancing I did at the show. I hope the Terminal 5 crowd will be less violent than it was at the Ratatat show.
I just got off the phone with Trash For Your Eyes and Ears, and he had an amazing time at the show. If you've been to Terminal 5, then I'm sure you're aware that there is a gap between the gate and the stage. However, if you want to go onstage to dance, you must rush up the stairs (located stage-right left) during the first 10 minutes of Girl Talk's set. Gregg went on around 10:45 PM last night.
See you tomorrow! I've seen Gregg Gillis three times in the last year or so, and his shows are always so much fun for me. I hope there's a mix of Night Ripper, Feed the Animals, and some new stuff. For now, enjoy "Give Me a Beat." Gregg is a genius for mashing up Of Montreal's "Gronlandic Edit" and Ali's "Breathe In, Breathe Out." Yes, I listened to the St. Lunatics. I'm from the Midwest, what do you expect?
NOTE: Tickets for tonight's show (11/16) have gone back on sale!
Give Me a Beat - Girl Talk
And my favorite off Feed the Animals:
In Step - Girl Talk
Legally download Feed the Animals here.
September 28, 2008
Ratatat - Terminal 5 09.27.08
via djmac20
Earlier on the day of the Ratatat show, I had a conversation that would come back to haunt me later.
Me: I can't imagine people dancing to Ratatat.
H: Yeah, same here. It's like, more chill.
Hah, chill would be the last word to describe the show that New York experienced last night at Terminal 5. From the moment I arrived at the venue, there were some early indications that the night would get a little crazy:
1. People were standing up and chanting "Ratatat" before the first opening act had a sound check.
2. The average age of the crowd was roughly 18, +/- 2 years. Man, I wish I was that cool when I was in high school.
3. Someone was wearing a robo-pig helmet made out of cardboard and plastic pieces. Pig was not a fan of showers.
4. E*Rock, one of the opening acts, wore a burka and aviator sunglasses.
Still, with these signs, I had no idea what I had gotten myself into. When Ratatat hit the stage, the crowd just became violent/insane. I stuck it out for the first couple songs, but after "Mirando," I had to get out of the main stage area. Being 5'2", I quickly realized that the situation could turn very deadly for me. I called it quits when two elbows on either side of me were choking me.
From a safe distance, I could actually focus on enjoying the show. The most entertaining person to watch was the guy on synth/keyboards (Does anyone know who he is?), who is technically not apart of the duo that is Ratatat. I kept on wondering, how is this guy not getting whiplash from violently moving his head up and down to the beat? At times, he looked like he was going to hit his head on his equipment. The other guys were a little more contained and nearly unfazed by the crazy crowd. The set was a heavy on the newest album LP3, which is not surprising, but I personally prefer the older stuff. Ratatat unsurprisingly closed with "Seventeen Years," a crowd favorite and one of their best pieces. Even without any vocals (organic or synthetic), Ratatat's minimalist electro-rock music didn't feel like it was missing anything.
Again, I was reminded of My Old Kentucky Blog's The 10 Commandments of Concert Behavior. Why do people bring bulky backpacks to dance shows? If you think sweaty skin-to-skin contact is disgusting, nylon backpack-to-skin contact is just painful. I don't know what it is, but backpacks love me. While there were a good number of people who were wearing backpacks, it just happened that there was always a backpacker in front of me at all times. Even when I left the main stage area, a bag still found it's way to me. I'm pretty sure that people aren't whipping out their books from their bags to study in between sets, so please do everyone a favor and leave the bags at home.
Next time I go to a show at Terminal 5, I am going to arrive super early so that I can be right in the front. I think that's the only way to survive being in the main stage area.
Past post here. Ratatat is currently on tour in North America.
Wildcat - Ratatat
Mirando - Ratatat
September 21, 2008
Stars - Terminal 5 09.20.08
Not a bad picture, considering that my LCD screen is still painfully broken
It's always a privilege to see one of my all-time favorite bands. I've been a huge fan of Stars for many years, and I made my way to Terminal 5 to see them for the third time. Thankfully (and unsurprisingly), the Stars crowd was not like the Hot Chip crowd that I experienced at Terminal 5, so I escaped with no bruises.
What's great about a band like Stars is that they're able to bring out a large devoted fan base. Maybe it's because I tend to check out newer artists, but it's great to be a part of an audience that truly appreciates the band's music. There's something magical about being a part of a crowd that knows the words to all the songs. During a quiet moment in "Midnight Coward," you could actually hear the entire audience singing along. Folks, I live for moments like this, feeling a connection to the band and everyone around you. Hearing one of my favorite songs ("Elevator Love Letter)" performed live is an experience that I can't describe in words. I can only hope that everyone, at least once in his or her lifetime, will understand what I'm trying to convey.
The set had a good mix of In the Bedroom, Set Yourself on Fire, Sad Robots, and older stuff. I would have preferred less In the Bedroom, but that's my personal bias. The show itself felt a little long, but I was happy when Stars closed the night with "Heart," a song that I don't think I've heard live before, but my memory may be failing me. Will Stars ever bring back their cover of the Smiths' "This Charming Man?"
Now that I've gone through most of the good, I should probably mention some of the bad parts of the show. BellX1, the opening act, utterly confused me. Their songs spanned so many genres without any cohesion. In general, I don't think this band was an appropriate opener for Stars (Is BellX1 a Christian rock band?). My friend E. said that "I'll See Your Heart and Raise You Mine" reminded her of Nicholas Sparks. To make it clear, this was not meant to be a compliment. Let's just say there is a reason why Damien Rice left this band. Oh yea, and the lead singer definitely needs a visit to rehab.
And, here's something My Old Kentucky Blog's The 10 Commandments of Concert Behavior should cover: Thou shalt not drown out the band by screaming the lyrics. I couldn't hear Amy Millan half of the time because the girls behind me were screaming in perfect tone-deaf form. It may be a revelation to them that contrary to their belief, I came to the show to listen to Stars, not them.
Go see Stars. They are pop music at its best. Past post here.
Set Yourself on Fire was cut out :(
Setlist
The Night Starts Here
Ageless Beauty
Soft Revolution
Window Bird
Reunion
Violent
Bitches in Tokyo
My Favourite Book
Going, Going, Gone
Look Up
Midnight Coward
A Thread Cut with a Carving Knife
Undertow
What I'm Trying to Say
Elevator Love Letter
Your Ex-Lover is Dead
********************
Take Me to the Riot
One More Night (Your Ex-Lover Remains Dead)
Calendar Girl
Heart
Reunion- Stars
Heart - Stars
Elevator Love Letter - Stars
Midnight Coward - Stars
April 13, 2008
Hot Chip - Terminal 5 04.12.08
The bad part about having a broken LCD screen is that I am no longer able to take centered pictures.
Last night, I finally experienced Hot Chip. To be honest, I was really skeptical about the hype surrounding their live shows. Even after I blogged about Made in the Dark, I didn't jump on buying tickets for the show. Yes, I would put the tickets into my cart on Ticketmaster (aka Satan), but I never convinced myself to hit the buy button. One day, I was checking the Terminal 5 website, and I saw that the Hot Chip show was SOLD OUT. Now that the show was sold out, I suddenly had the urge to go. Luckily, I picked up some reasonably-priced tickets on Facebook and on eBay.
The Hot Chip show was my first concert at Terminal 5, the largest venue of The Bowery Presents with a capacity of 3000. Knowing that the show was sold out AND it was open to all ages, I arrived about 30 minutes before doors opened. There were already people waiting in line, but coming a little bit earlier paid off; my friends and I acquired prime spots in the very front, near Al Doyle and Owen Clarke (who, btw, has the most amazing dance moves).
During the entire Hot Chip show, I kept on thinking that I was at a club in the Meatpacking District. I'm not sure if this is typical of Hot Chip or Terminal 5, but there were a ton of flashing lights, including a heavy usage of strobe lights. The lights were pretty appropriate for the music and weren't THAT cheesy. Hot Chip played all of their most danceable songs, and the crowd went insane. Literally. I have never experienced a more aggressive crowd. Even the band looked a little concerned when people were shoving each other, elbows flying everywhere. My friend told me that at one point, there was a guy who had another guy in a headlock. Right up against the gate, I had problems of my own. A girl actually thought she could squeeze into 3 inches of space in between this guy and me. Both the guy and I had arrived early, stood in line, and sat around for an hour before the opening act; we were NOT MOVING. After enduring some delicate fighting moves and words, the girl finally moved. You can check out a picture of my bruised arm below.
No, I wasn't beaten up. I just went to a Hot Chip concert. I count about 10 bruises.
Even though I look like I was beaten up at the Hot Chip show, I had a lot of fun. In my opinion, the show wasn't mind-blowing, but it was definitely entertaining and I was glad that I went. My thoughts may have been different if I had seen Hot Chip at a smaller, more intimate venue. Terminal 5 is definitely not my favorite venue. This place has been open since last fall, and they STILL had technical difficulties at Hot Chip. Has there been a single show at Terminal 5 without technical issues? Most reviews of Terminal 5 concerts seem to share this common complaint. Nonetheless, I haven't had this much dancing fun at a show since Girl Talk, !!! (Chk Chk Chk), or Of Montreal. Hot Chip had a lot of energy, and it was hard not to move your body. Also, Hot Chip played some of their mellower songs, which added a nice balance to the set. More importantly, it gave me some time to rest and cool down. Towards the end, I felt like the show started to drag, especially with a long, 4-song encore. I'd have to say that Owen Clarke (guitar, synthesizer) is my absolute favorite member of the band. This guy can seriously move. And, it seems like his legs move independently from the rest of his body. Yes, Owen has that body-isolation dance thing down.
Hot Chip is currently on tour in North America. Made in the Dark is in stores, and their new single is "One Pure Thought."
Setlist
Shake a Fist
Boy from School
Hold On
Bendable Poseable
Touch Too Much
Over & Over
Out at the Pictures
Wrestlers
(Crap Kraft Dinner)
One Pure Thought
Ready for the Floor
Made in the Dark
Don't Dance
No Fit State
Privacy of Our Love
These songs may be taken down soon...
Ready for the Floor - Hot Chip
One Pure Thought - Hot Chip
